Enchanted Items:
Rein of the Equestrian Magus: Lesser Enchanted Device, 4 pawns
When Roberto first came to Novus Mane, he rode on a horse using a magical reign, given to him by Santiago.
ReAn40 Command the Mounted Beast:
R: Touch, D: Concentration, T: Ind
The rein is worn by the horse and activates automatically, as this is the triggering condition. This effect allows the one who holds the rein to control the horse and ride it, even in battle; despite any defects in the mount or the effects of the Gift. The riders scores in Animal Handling and Riding are used as normal, as you need to know when and what to command the horse to do.
(Base 15, +1M Touch, +1M Conc, +5L Item Maintains Concentration, 10 L Unlimited Use)

Familiar: Don Diego (aka “Cidito”), an orange tabby tomcat of girth and gumption
Cidito is a fat orange tomcat that followed Roberto from Novus Mane. Mainly because Roberto always gave him his leftover milk, and also because he likes sleeping in his fireplace. It is unknown if Cidito was warped into his magical state from the high Magic Aura of Novus Mane, if he acquired these traits elsewhere, or if he was born that way. There are apochryphal legends that Flambeau (or Delendos) had an orange tabby familiar, a sort of unsocumented lineage of magical cats. Cidito may be fat, but he is also large and strong for a cat. He has a bold personality, confident and unafraid. Full statistics for Cidito are given below. The Bond statistics are as follow…
Bond Score: 37
Bond Level: 24
Cord Scores: Gold +1, Silver +2, Bronze +2

Bio:

Background
Born on the borderlands of New Castile, Roberto was the son of a prosperous freeman. His father was a retired caballero villano turned farmer, raising Roberto to be strong and fierce to follow after his own example. His mother was a Christian Mozarab from Andalusia, and is the one who instilled Roberto with his deeply rooted belief in Christianity and his introspective sense of honor. However, he was orphaned at age 7 when his home was razed by raiders from a nearby Tafia. No one wanted to take him in because his emerging Gift disturbed them, so he fell in with gangs of thugs that accepted him because of his courage and sheer tenacity. But these fleeting friendships never lasted long.
At age 10 he joined a band of Almogavars, the Segovia Company. Initially he served as a lackey; shield bearer, spear carrier, messenger, errand boy, etceteras. Little did he know, but the leader of the mercenary band, Joel Muniz, was secretly a Flambeau magus (with the Gentle Gift), and had recruited this angst ridden strange lad to be his apprentice. Because they knew of their captain’s special interest in the boy, the mercenaries begrudgingly accepted Roberto in spite of his Gift. Though he still suffered social difficulties, his bold personality and knowledge of warrior culture helped him overcome this and gain acceptance.
Roberto saw his first battle that year and had already learned how to kill a man with a sword before he was eleven. Joel took the lad aside and introduced him to the Hermetic Mysteries of the Flambeaux (opened Roberto to the Arts). However, instead of using him as a lab assistant or tasking him to wizardly chores, Roberto’s master employed him as a shield grog on his many adventures and expeditions. He was trained rigorously in the field, taught how to use his magic to his best tactical advantage, and more importantly, to master each and every spell he knew. His parens pursued a relentless grudge against the Almohades, which Roberto enthusiastically participated in.
Roberto earned his Gauntlet on the field of battle, attested to by Santiago of Flambeau, the magus who became his mentor. Santiago was an amicus of Roberto’s master (Joel was once his mentor), but more subtle and restrained in his methods. Santiago completed and furthered Roberto’s training, and the two adventured together for a few years fighting the Shadow Wars. Santiago tries to steer him towards a more enlightened mindset. Indeed, Roberto had satiated his vengeance in his apprenticeship and does not hunger for war. Rather, he seeks adventure. However, because of the infamy of his pater, other magi look at him with scorn, expecting him to be nothing more than a blood-thirsty hot head. The fact that he is overconfident and reckless does not help to assuage this reputation, but his confidence and skill help him accomplish some pretty daring deeds. His mentor tries to use this to steer Roberto towards activities that will reverse the negative reputation that is the legacy of Roberto’s parens. To that effect, Roberto has left Iberia and, with the recommendation of his mentor, he has come to participate in the revitalization of Novus Mane.Saga of Joel Muniz, Knight of Seneca
Joel Muniz of Flambeau was Roberto’s parens, the one that left him with the legacy of the Infamous Master Flaw. Some call him hero, some call him dastardly villain. Santiago called him brother. Roberto respects his memory, but he personally thinks that there was something seriously wrong with the man. Joel is an often misunderstood character, by both his friends and his enemies, and both his supporters and detractors admit that his actions and death are a complicated debate to say the least. For in every mundane conflict he could be accused of interferring with, it could also be claimed that he was opposing enemies of the Order (renegade sahir and Berber sorcerors) that happened to be allied with mundane forces (a vast legion of minions some say). Roberto knows the truth, he was brilliant man twisted by vengence and a broken heart.
Joel possessed a rare trait amongst Flambeau magi. He had the Gentle Gift. He was also quite the skilled magus, but his social skill amongst fighting men gave him an edge his fellows lacked. It also allowed many of his actions to passed unnoticed by his fellows, for no one knew that it was a magus who was captain of the mercenariy band of almogavars and caballeros known as the Sergovia Company.
A driven and passionate magus, his hatred for his enemies can easily be misconstrued as intolerant bigotry, for he loathed the Almohades with every fiber of his being. Joel was a member of a prestigious societas known as the Knights of Seneca, known for their love of adventure and excitement; they also have a history of conflict with wizards outside the Order. At one time this included the Sahirs, but they formed an alliance with them against the Almorovide Marabouts (the Sahirs are mostly Umayyad, and the fundamentalist Almororvides and later Almohades hate Sahir magic).
So, in truth, Joel’s anger was not against Islam at all. His wife, Jasmine, was an Andalusian princess and a sahira. His wrath was directed solely at the Berber Almohades, who murdered her. He blamed himself, for it all happened while he was away on one of his many adventures, a vainglorious quest, and he pursued his vengeance unto his dying day. He carried out his wrath upon mundanes though, and the extent of his law-breaking will probably never be fully known.
It was while carrying out his secret mission that Joel met Santiago. In those days, Santiago was a reckless young hothead who was eager for nothing but battle. It was Joel who mellowed him out and taught him to be more focused and orderly, like a professional soldier. Ironically, it is Santiago who took the more enlightened path in the long run, for he eventually matured into a pious and faithful Christian, and as one of the Hoplites of the Order, he seeks to further the cause of righteousness and justice.
Roberto joined the band of mercenaries when he was only 10 years old (1200). At first he was just a hanger-on, earning his food by carrying gear and fetching drink. Though the warriors found him odd and disturbing, they admired his tenacity and aggression. When the camp was attacked in a raid, Roberto proved his worth in battle when he picked up a sword and killed one of the intruders in a quick but fierce fight. Joel took notice when his men began speaking of this strange boy who earned their begrudging respect. He placed the lad on special duty, testing his prowess and ferocity. Pleased with his find, he eventually pulled him aside for special training.
Though an apprentice, Roberto received no special treatment. He was still a soldier and obeyed all of his superior officers. The reason Roberto holds Joel in such high regard, despite his infamy, is because of the valuable lessons he taught him. Not just magic, but more importantly, lessons about respect and honor. It was Joel that gave him confidence, made him a leader of men, and taught him to overcome the handicap of his gift and to persevere against adversity.
Joel and his mercenary band, including Roberto, participated in the great battle of Las Navas de Tolosa. He was not the only magus guilty that day, for it was a very chaotic conflict full of subterfuge and intrigue on all sides; mundane and arcane. Many Dark Secrets, Infamous Reputations, and bitter Enemies were made that day. Magi don’t speak of it, No charges ever brought forth. Nothing but a code of silence and a few longstanding grudges. Santiago was there too. His participation is a Dark Secret, whereas Joel became infamous. Joel got carried away. The battle was so fierce and violent that slanderous rumors became attached to the event. For example; the Shadow Flambeau had nothing to do with the battle, yet it has become a fixed part of legend that they were the secret leaders of both armies, playing a game of diabolic chess with the blood and souls of mortals.
Joel’s infamy is not the taint of diabolism though. But the revelation that he was the secret leader of this mercenary company was a shock to many and caused the Knights of Seneca to have to face accusations that they were participating in the Reconquista yet again (which is perhaps why they where so vehement in their war to eradicate the Shadow Flambeau). If Joel had faced Tribunal for his actions, he probably would not have been renounced, but he surly would have been severely punished.
But Joel never faced tribunal, for he himself was slain in that very battle. He was decapitated by an axe wielding Ghul conjured against him by an unknown enemy wizard. Roberto avenged his master and destroyed the fiend, earning his battlefield gauntlet. The tribunal would have probably taken away his familiar and destroyed his talisman. His familiar was also killed, and his talisman broken. Roberto was innocent because he was only an apprentice at the time. Santiago’s participation in the battle and the activities of the mercenaries before that was (and still is) unknown. He claimed that he was just as shocked by his friend’s actions as anyone else, and of course neither he nor any of the other Knights of Seneca knew anything about the Caballeros. They all stood up for Roberto though, and claimed that since he survived and was on the triumphant side of a battle that his master was slain in, this qualified as his Gauntlet.
Roberto was thus officially a sworn magus at the age of 24 (1214). Aftarwards, Santiago took him under his wing and furthered his training, most importantly it was he who taught Roberto te final secret of Parma Magica and which is why he had inherited the same Flaw (Weak Magic Resistance unless in possession of a symbol of his faith). As his protégé, Roberto fought alongside Santiago in the Shadow Wars, the struggle to eliminate a cult of Infernalists that infiltrated the Order. This was a cathartic part of Santiago’s career, which is the reason he has become more faithful and pious in his maturity. Roberto himself is not infamous, only his dead former parens. Roberto’s heroism alongside Santiago exonerates him in the eyes of fellow Flambeau magi. However, none of the acclaim is his because he was just a sidekick. It is believed that the Shadow Flambeau have been eliminated, but the Iberian magi are ever vigilant. Having reached the proper age of a young journeyman magus, Santiago decided it was time for Roberto to go and make his mark in the Order.
Now a mature magus, Santiago has recently joined the Cult of Mercury, where he had met (the former master of Aelianus Robur Ex Verditius). He was saddened to hear that his new friend had passed on, and was also disappointed to hear what a shamble the old mans covenant had become. He hopes that Roberto will help make it great again, and make something of himself in the process. Santiago sent Marcello along with him, his only (and failed) attempt at training an apprentice of his own.
In the past six years, Roberto has done quite a bit to make a name for himself. He has exposed Leolinus of Jerbiton as an Infernalist, he secured the sovereignty of Novus Mane by triumphing in single combat, he helped to defeat the Witches of Thessaly and their demons in Greece, he has flown a ship across the English Channel, dealt with the Bone Merchant, invented several new and useful spells, and much more.
But now it is time for a new chapter in Roberto’s life. Santiago wrote to him seeking assistance in some disturbing intrigues withing House Flambeau. To that end, e migrates to the covenant of Mons Electi in 1226. It is with a heavy heart that he departs his sodales at Novus Mane, but duty calls and Loyalty compels.Saga of Clemente Rodriguez
Clemente Rodriguez was Roberto’s father, and it is from him that he inherits his bold and assertive nature. Clemente was an adventurer, a soldier, a mercenary, a cavalier (caballero villano), a farmer, a husband, a father, and a heroic martyr. Clemente was born in Old Castile, and grew up in the city of Burgos. As a young man, he consorted with soldiers and adventurers and joined a mercenary company when he came of age. He earned fame and fortune in his many escapades, quickly rising in rank and status as a Caballero Villano and commander of a small company in service to King Alphonso of Castile.
Roberto credits him with several heroic deeds, some which are based in truth and others which may be somewhat fictional (he learned these tales from his father and his old companions, and old war stories take on a life of their own sometimes). It is claimed that Clemente had adventured in every kingdom in Iberia and had travelled as far as Italy and Ireland. He entered a tournament as a masked cavalier, and by unhorsing the reigning champion (a noble Caballero Higaldo named Don Ozcar) he earned his armaments (he entered the tournament wearing no metal, just leathers and a wooden pole for a lance). He once bested a giant in a wrestling contest using clever trickery, getting the giant to overeat and drink to much first. On the battlefield, he had bested over a dozen challengers in single combat. He captured twenty towns in the name of the king, and there is a tale of clever strategy associated with each one.
Clemente became a rich man, and settled down as a farmer as part of a fuero on the Castian frontier. His wife, Maria Oestridez, was a Mozarab Christian maiden from an aristocratic family in the newly liberated teritorry. She bore him his only son, Roberto, and they had a peaceful and happy life for several years.
Then came the fateful day when Almohad raiders attacked the fuero and burned all of the buildings to the ground. Maria pushed young Roberto out the window just before the flaming rafters collapsed in on her. Roberto watched as his sixty year old father, unarmored but with sword & shield in hand, slay over a dozen raiders and their horses single handedly. But eventually Clemente was overcome by the weight of numbers. Roberto his, as any wise child should do. Too overwhelmed to continue crying, the child retrieved his fathers sword and wandered away. Roberto weilded Clemente’s sword for many years in many battles. Old and battered, he gave it to his sodale Wirth to use as an Arcane Connection when Santiago gave him the gift of a new one of higher quality from Toledo.